Talk:Sturgeon Point Light

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Contents 1 Authority re Coast Guard attempt to close Sturgeon Point lighthouse and remove the Fresnel lens 2 John A. McGean 3 Isaac M. Scott 4 Height of the tower and focal plane 5 Notes

[edit] Authority re Coast Guard attempt to close Sturgeon Point lighthouse and remove the Fresnel lens

Google the following: Coast Guard Sturgeon Point decommissioning If one looks at the Alcona County Historical Society, which was on point in collecting the 5000 plus signatures (in a town that has 600 people), you might find more. Additionally, there was (at one time) a public comment section with the Coast Guard, Department of Homeland Security, where comments were posted protesting the move.

http://www.doi.gov/news/07_News_Releases/070208.html regarding the transfer of the lighthouse to the Society.

Since I've given up editing or contributing to articles, that's the most I'll do. Good luck 7&6=thirteen (talk) 15:23, 30 March 2008 (UTC)Stan

I would also note that Sturgeon Point light station was the preferred southern boundary of the National Marine Sanctuary. [ref>National Marine Sanctuary.</ref>http://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/epa-impact/msg02891.htmlhttp://legalminds.lp.findlaw.com/list/epa-impact/msg02891.html 7&6=thirteen (talk) 18:07, 30 March 2008 (UTC)Stan

The point regarding the southern boundary of the NMS is already in there. First sentence under "contemporary status". Ipoellet (talk) 20:56, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

At least some references on the point have been put in. 7&6=thirteen (talk) 03:02, 6 May 2008 (UTC) Stan

[edit] John A. McGean

This wreck is listed in Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm as being proximate to Sturgeon Point Light. However, I found this on line, which indicates that it sank near Harbor Beach, Michigan.^[1] 7&6=thirteen (talk) 19:52, 13 April 2008 (UTC)Stan

The following was posted elsewhere. This would seem to make it clear enough that the McGean isn't anywhere near Sturgeon Point Light. I am pulling that section.

Captain Ron Burkhard gives instructions in the Lakeshore Guardian where to dive the wreck of the McGean. It's about 9.5 statute miles off of Harbor Beach. ^[2] --HB Edit (talk) 23:31, 13 April 2008 (UTC)

7&6=thirteen (talk) 00:07, 14 April 2008 (UTC) Stan

[edit] Isaac M. Scott

Isaac M. Scott wreck is listed in Shipwrecks of the 1913 Great Lakes storm as being proximate to Sturgeon Point Light. However, the location of the wreck as described in the following article seems to contradict that.^[3] It states that mariners made certain assumptions about the likely direction of the vessel, and had wrongly guessed where it went down. It states: "In 1976, the wreck of the Scott was discovered at 175 feet about six to seven miles northeast of Thunder Bay Island. The vessel is upside down and half buried in the mud." 7&6=thirteen (talk) 19:55, 13 April 2008 (UTC)Stan

[edit] Height of the tower and focal plane

Looking at the National Park Service and the Alcona County Historical Society website, it is clear that the tower is 70' 9" tall. However, Terry Pepper (surprisingly) erroneously reports (in my opinion) that it is 98 feet tall (in his table of heights of lighthouses). David Wobser reports that it is 79 feet to the top of the ventilator ball.^[4] I don't have a precise measurement (other than rough eyeballing) of the difference between the base of the light and the historic lake level, but I am guesstimating at more than 5 to 10 feet. Hey, you've got an uphill walk. I know that this is a 3.5 Order Fresnel, and do not think that it has a "bullseye" like the Point Betsie Light did that gave it a more effective range. In passing, I note that looking at the pictures, the 2 1/2 story building seems more consistent with the lower height on the tower to me. Anyway, that's my report. 7&6=thirteen (talk) 01:31, 18 May 2008 (UTC) Stan

Because of the questions I raised, I wrote to Terry Pepper, who is now the executive direct of the Great Lakes Light Keepers Association. Of course, he is the author of Terry Pepper, Seeing the Light, Lighthouses of the western Great Lakes. He was kind enough to write back with a detailed response, and he has given me permission to post this here:

Good call - that number is clearly incorrect.

As you are no doubt aware, height from water level to the focal plane was the metric of critical importance to mariners, since through triangulation the mariner could determine his distance from the light. To this end, focal height has been reported in US Light Lists since the earliest days. The physical height of the structure was of far lesser importance to mariners, and was only rarely included. For reasons I have yet been unable to determine, the 1914 issue of the Great Lakes Light List broke the mold, and included both metrics in its description of the lights. As such, I would consider that volume to be the definitive reference on the height of Great Lakes lighthouses.

According to the 1914 Great Lakes Light List, Sturgeon Point lighthouse stood 71 feet from base to top of lantern, and 69 feet from mean high water to focal plane.

Interestingly, the metric specifics used in calculating focal height changed frequently over the years, varying between low water, mean water, and high water. (The Coast Guard currently reports distance from mean high water.

I hope this helps.

This should settle this issue, and provide some guidance in the future for editors. Best to you all. 7&6=thirteen (talk) 15:34, 18 May 2008 (UTC) Stan

[edit] Notes